Aramark, one of the largest food service companies in the United States, supplies hospitals, universities, school districts, and stadiums around the country. They also are responsible for feeding residents of Florida state prisons. In Florida alone, Aramark is responsible for feeding some 90,000 people.
To make things worse, many food companies like Aramark hire incarcerated workers for cheap labor. While they may pay minimum wage to incarcerated people, the reality is that workers might not see more than 20% of their checks. Companies are exploiting these workers, and their reach stretches far beyond prison walls.
Food not used within the prison industrial complex can be sold to private companies. State-run facilities like hospitals and veterans’ homes purchase this prison food. In some instances, schools and food banks also join in.
Discovering that prison labor is the source of this hidden pipeline of food reveals the disturbing complicity of many facilities in the public sector. Incarcerated labor is being exploited to feed the U.S. and grow its economy. This injustice can’t continue.
The silent pipeline of food from prisons to the public shows how entrenched prison exploitation is in our lives. Food shouldn’t be connected to a system like this.